New Dwight eatery pays homage to firefighters

Station 343 is the hottest new restaurant in Livingston County. Not only is it popular, but a person could spend hours just looking at the authentic firefighter décor.

Located in Dwight at 140 E. Main St., Station 343 is named for the 343 brave New York City firefighters and paramedics who lost their lives on Sept.11, 2001, and to all the police, paramedics, and firefighters who have and continue to serve today, said manager Cathy Ferguson.

Owners Pete and Joy Meister of Dwight had a dream. Pete Meister wanted to do something different with his life after working at Nielsen Grain Elevator for 10 years. Ferguson also worked there.

“He said he always wanted to run a restaurant. He wanted to find a new challenge that incorporated his passion for delicious food, served by friendly people in a cozy atmosphere and his passion for firefighters,” Ferguson explained.

Meister was a volunteer firefighter for eight years in Cullom. He knows firsthand what it is like to serve people in this capacity.

Ferguson said, “At first he considered running a bakery, because family members create and market ‘Meister’s Gluten Free Flour,’ which is used at the restaurant. The restaurant is gluten-free friendly and the dishes that are gluten free are noted on the menu. There is separate equipment labeled and used specifically for the gluten free items. All of our sauces are gluten free.

“Then, this building came up for sale,” she continued. “The building was built in 1881 and has since housed many businesses beginning with Miller Brothers and Son’s Men’s Clothing/Haberdashery from 1892-1934, to M &M $.05 to $1 store in 1935. In 1944, it housed Kaiser’s Dime Store (which holds many memories for area people), until the Dwight Variety Store took over in 1995. The Dwight Main Street Co. owned it from 1998 until Station 343 took over,” said Ferguson.

“The building had been empty for 1 1/2 years. We started restoring Sept 20, 2011, that was the day we started hauling out 131 years of items that had been long forgotten. We found an old suit coat hidden in the walls upstairs, old handwritten ledgers bartering for items using bushels of grain in exchange for money, a dumb waiter, check registers and much more.

“There was a fire in the 1930s that ended at this building and when we ripped out the ceilings upstairs, we could see the charred rafters. It is ironic that a fire ended here and now this restaurant honors firefighters,” she added.

The rafters were blackened with age and were sandblasted by Tim Clark of Dwight to restore them to original color. We chipped off plaster and found beautiful brick walls, and had them tuck-pointed by Ben Stoeller of Fairbury. The floors were covered with subfloors, tile, and carpet and after digging, we found the original wood floors. We pulled out thousands of nails. Everyone joined in — including Pete and Joy’s children, Ava, age 5 and Graham, age 3. Chad Shenberg of Morris restored the white ash and pine floor boards to a quality that left so much character and beauty,” she said. “The wood used in the building was from reclaimed barn boards. Much of the work was done by Pete, John Fox of Dwight, and Pete’s numerous brothers and Meister cousins.”

Page 2 of 4 - When you arrive at the building make sure you look up. The Mesker style of painting — very ornate and detailed — was painted by Robert Treglio of Dwight.

I will get to the menu, but honestly, you just have to know all the firefighter historical memorabilia inside. As soon as you enter the vestibule, make sure you notice the firefighter patches that decorate the wall where firefighter jackets hang. You might notice one jacket, in particular, that belonged to retired firefighter, Lyle Wilson of Pontiac.

Look quick before your hostess seats you — there is a plastered wall that has signatures and short messages from the people who worked in the building, dating back as far as 1897.

Then, you cannot help but notice the New York skyline in a green tinted glass, separating the bar from the restaurant. The glass was actually a part of a 16-by-16 walking glass floor upstairs. Above the glass floor was a skylight from 1881 (forward thinking merchants, weren’t they?). The glass sculpture was made by Pete Meister, said Ferguson.

Almost all the authentic firefighter memorabilia came from the collection of Alex McWilliams, retired fire chief of Dwight. Notice the firefighter pole by the front windows, the life net meant to catch people as they jumped from buildings in flames, firefighter helmets from Great Britain, Wales and Germany, and a 1917 Seagrave Fire Truck that was in pieces on the Haley farm near Swygert. The fire truck was actually used in Pontiac. Larry Seabert completely repainted it, while Route 66 Service Center ordered custom tires. Meister and his brothers completed the project.

The truck is located in the back of the restaurant by the restrooms, suspended from the ceiling. When you visit the area, look up and you will be able to see the undercarriage of the fire engine, Ferguson said.

“The truck was brought in through the front window that was being replaced by Mike’s Glass. After being pushed through the restaurant, it had to be hoisted up by two winches attached to the rafters, and a lot of muscle.” Ferguson said. “Another irony,” said Ferguson, “was that when Pete and Joy got married, they took off in an old restored fire truck, so this was a project that is close to their hearts.”

Also near the restroom is a flag naming all 343 firefighters and paramedics who perished on 9/11.

Throughout the restaurant are metal and iron plaques of various apparatus companies including Clark, Race, Alexis, Pirsa, Seagrave, and American LaFrance.

There are also original axes, lanterns, fire buckets, and a street box alarm that was used to tell firefighters the location of the fire. This alarm box still works and is set to ring an alarm for 343.

Page 3 of 4 - Meister’s wife, Joy, has added trendy, eclectic touches — unusual chairs, cool period-looking frames on the many original firefighter pictures from Chicago, Ohio, and back-in-the-day. Her father, a longtime Dwight resident, Gibs Nielsen, also has a hand in the creation of the restaurant, offering up guidance and advice.

Notice the tailor table where families of 14 can now sit. It was used at one time to cut cloth for coats, jackets and pants.

OK, now we can talk about food and drink.

“We like to think of ourselves as a steakhouse,” said Ferguson. “Our most popular steak has been the battalion, which is an 18 to 20 oz. bone-in ribeye that can be topped with specialty butters such as blue cheese, garlic, sun-dried tomato, or roasted garlic ancho.”

“A customer favorite has been our seafood risotto, a combination of crab, shrimp and lobster sautéed and served in creamy garlic and dried tomato sauce, and our lobster pizza and pot roast pizza. Our artisan pizzas are 10-inch Naan flatbread crust pizzas. From beautifully created salads to our firehouse chili to our create-your-own pasta, we have something for everyone,” Ferguson said.

“People really like our salmon and tilapia, too. We have a menu that is trendy, yet comforting,” she explained.

“Our homemade bread pudding that is served with a warm whiskey sauce is the most requested dessert,” she said. “We also have cheesecake, desserts for chocolate lovers, carrot cake, and a gluten-free chocolate torte that is guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth.”

Bar manager Nicole Leiter weighed in on the specialty drinks.

“We are really known for our martinis and they are tasty. Station 343 has more than 14 different kinds of martinis including triple espresso vodka, triple decadence made with Godiva chocolate and orange liqueur, Boston cream pie and watermelontini.”

Leiter, a five-year veteran of working in area establishments, added, that draft beer choices include Bud Light and Miller Lite, 321, Stella Artois, and seasonal offerings of Sam Adams and Leinenkugel.

“We also have several imported bottled beer and craft beers from various microbreweries.

“We have some excellent wine choices as well. The staff has been trained in providing good wine service for our customers. Wednesdays are ‘Wine down Wednesdays’ with discounts on wine and wine flights, (which are a sampling of various wines)” she added.

“We are a football bar on Sunday afternoons and on Friday nights we are a martini bar. On Sundays, we have $2.50 bloody mary and screwdrivers. We just enjoy making sure everyone is being served good drinks in a friendly atmosphere.”

Page 4 of 4 - Station 343 is also “kid friendly,” topping their heads with a take-home fire hat and a children’s menu along with the games and quizzes that can be answered and colored. Station 343 takes reservations, has carryouts, and has room for large parties. The restaurant is closed Monday and the hours are: Tuesday through Thursday from 4:30 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 4:30 to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Bar hours are Tuesday and Wednesday until 11 p.m., and Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 4:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Ferguson said the restaurant should be open for lunches, early bird specials, and late night food sometime in the future.

All firefighters and emergency personnel receive a 10 percent discount on their meal. So the next time you think about dining, stop by downtown Dwight, and you will be pleasantly surprised with the trendy, yet casual atmosphere of Station 343.